Saturday, December 29, 2012

when your home disappears?” to teach them about global warming and the plight of

the polar bears now losing their Arctic homes.

Saginaw, MN – Professional water color artist and author Skip Hofstrand announces the
release of Tears for Nanertak. With its exquisite illustrations and poignant text
Hofstrand’s new juvenile fiction tells the tale of a polar bear mother and cub fleeing their melting homeland and directs his young readers’ attention on the sad
effects of global warming.

It’s hard for most people to imagine their home vanishing, but for Nanertak, a young
polar cub, the melting of the Arctic cap means she and her mother will have no place to live. Hofstrand’s brilliant illustrations and well honed text dramatically present the two bears’ sad exodus from their native land in search of another home.

Nanertak and her mother are forced to escape by iceberg, a dangerous trek and the
beginning of their incredible journey of survival. Other Arctic creatures join them along the way and share the tears they shed on their trip, but at the end there is
an unexpected hope revealed for their future.

There is also a solution presented to Hofstrand’s young readers for the problem of their disappearing homeland.

Remarkably, the artists’ watercolor illustrations were painted with water taken from the melting Greenland Ice Cap and collected by Will Steger, polar explorer and winner of National Geographic’s prestigious John Oliver LaGorce award for exploration, science, and public service.
More information on Hofstrand’s remarkable watercolor style is available at
www.skiphofstrandartist.com. A percentage of the royalties from the sale of
Tears for Nanertak will be donated to the Will Steger Foundation,
which educates children about global warming.

Skip Hofstrand has been a professional watercolor artist for twenty-six years. This is his first children’s picture book. Skip has served as medical director for all of explorer Will Steger’s polar expeditions.

My Thoughts

The constant drip of the melting polar ice was Earth's tears for all the Arctic animals that were having to find new places to live because of something called global warming. Glogal warming was destroying their homeland.

Then there was the drip, drip of tears from Nanuck the mother of Nanertak, the Polar bear cub. Her sorrow was heavy on her heart because they had to leave the only home they had ever known.

Why was this happening? Where would they go? How would they travel if everything was melting? Nanertak and his mother Nanuck did find help along the way.

Many were sad and cried many tears along with Nanertak and Nanuck!

The author explains in a way that our children can understand the meaning of global warming and the effects it has on the planet Earth and it's inhabitants. I found the story very heartwarming and inspirational.

The illustration done in watercolors depicted the sorrow of Nanertak and Nanuck along with their perilous journey to a find another home.

I find this book to be a keeper! Not just because of the wonderful message wrote for our children but because of the exquisite artwork that is shared in this story.

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure

I received a free copy of this book from the author and Bostick Communications for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own opinion.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Amelia and her older sister Sofia have a cat. His name is Pink and he loves sleeping. During the day, Amelia and Sofia try almost everything to wake him up, as they only wish to play with him. The girls will learn what a heavy sleeper Pink is and how fun it is to play tricks on him while he is sleeping. These funny tricks, however, leave a very tired and confused Pink. Will Pink finally find out who was playing tricks on him and teach them a lesson?

About Author I was born in Colombia, and by the time I was eight years old, I had lived in many different countries all over the world. First, my family and I moved to Venezuela, where I immediately gained the local accent. Then, it was on to Indonesia, where local people loved to touch my curly hair. After that, we moved to Germany, where I managed to build my very own first snowman. And we ended our journey in Mexico where, after many tearful attempts, I ended up loving hot chili lollipops. It was very exciting to discover new places, but it also meant that I always had to leave my friends behind. I had to invent my own games and play by myself until I would make new friends. I guess this is the reason why I always had a wondering mind. When I grew up, I studied Industrial Design, and my very vivid childhood memories have always been there to inspire me. I love to watch The Smurfs and Care Bears; I am a huge fan of the cutest kitty of all, Hello Kitty. And I know I should stop wearing pink and glitter but I just can't help it.https://twitter.com/jimenapintohttps://www.facebook.com/pages/What-is-Amelia-up-to/

My ThoughtsAmelia and Sofia are sisters and they have a cat named Pink. Yes you heard me right. Pink is the color pink. He sleeps all day and stays up all night. This makes it difficult for the girls to play with him. So they decided to play with him while he was asleep. He would wake up with a variety of things on his body that were not there when he went to sleep. He was very confused. What did the girls do to him while he was sleeping? Will he find the girls out? Do you think it made him sad to have a trick played on him?I find Amelia and Sofia fun and energetic little girls. The author teaches a great lesson on the perils of playing funny tricks on others. It is not so funny when the tables turn and the trick is on you. The illustrations are so girly, fluffy and cute. Makes you want to pick up and cuddle Pink. Amelia and Sophie had a darling clothes which the illustrator created for them in bright fun colors.The author offers fun activities with the girls on their website. So be sure to drop in on Amelia and Sofia for lots of fun.I highly recommend this book. I rated this book a 5 out of 5.DisclosureI received a free copy of this book from the author for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own opinion.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

The Adventures of Tilda Pinkertonis for the smart reader – the precocious child and the clever adultMiddle Grade Fantasy for grades 5 and up
What if the thing you’re most insecure about is what saved the world?

The most embarrassing secret Tilda Pinkerton, the magical hat maker, keeps hidden from the children she teaches – is her most miraculous gift.

The Adventures of Tilda Pinkerton is a story of inter-galactic crisis with bionic bugs on a mission to capture the great Tilda Pinkerton and destroy her magical hats before she can spread her Light across the galaxy
.
Written in a wonderfully lyrical way that will appeal to fans of Dr. Seuss, Star Trek, Matilda Wormwood, and Harry Potter with every character’s name being a verbal play on their personalities. Quinn, for example, is Quinn Quisquilious, who works with rubbish to create new things. Belinda Balletomania is just that – obsessed with ballet. And of course Aaron Arachnophobia is the spider desperately afraid of himself.

Angela is an author, actor, and public speaker. She has been writing
since she was eight years old. Her first novel was adapted into the movie
Tumbleweeds. Angela won a regional Emmy award for her portrayal of SafeSide
Superchick in The Safe Side video series created by Baby Einstein’s Julie
Clark. After living in Los Angeles for over a decade, Angela left the big city
for a one-light country town to marry her first love and fulfill her dream of
writing books in a barn house.

Her Tilda Pinkerton books can be traced back to her childhood fear of
dictionaries! Angela was a big believer in the “if I can’t spell it, how can I
find it in the dictionary to learn how to spell it” school of thought. In
fact, she was so frustrated by the uselessness of dictionaries that she
destroyed several during her childhood. She eventually got over her fear of
dictionaries (OK, she still hates them. But she learned to hide her antagonism
for word books), and began writing. Her Tilda books contain a plethora (Go
ahead, look it up. At least you know how to spell it!) of wacky words and
definitions to expand the vocabulary of readers in a fun way. No dictionaries involved!

Just Thought You Should Know:

Angela has incorporated the character Tilda Pinkertion into an entire
line of book projects, each geared toward a different age group in order to
help kids, teachers and parents enjoy learning and reading more.

Reading
is such a valuable and fun activity for a family that reading a book together
is as bonding as sharing dinner together every night.

Even
though I'm an artist with a super whacky side, I am still very old school - I
value traditional things like family dinners. They make me happy.

I
interviewed a 100-year-old woman once and I asked her what her main advice
would be to this generation. She said no one was talking anymore in the family.
They were all watching TV instead of reading and they weren't sharing meal
together.

She
said her advice would be to have a sit down meal with your family once a day -
it would cure a lot. I'd like to add a book to that list and turn the TV off
for a change.

How
about discussing a book over a meal? Our family discusses books and
politics over dinner together every night. The politics get boring and
frustrating for me, but the books never get old.

What Can You Read as a Family?

You're
certainly not sharing 50 Shades of Grey with all age groups (I
am apparently the only person who has not read that book). And you're not
getting my husband to read Twilight. I don't know about yours,
but mine tossed it aside after page one while he rolled his eyes. Meanwhile,
that's all our twelve-year-old friends want to read. (We don't have kids yet,
we borrow others!)

Harry
Potter is one that fits the bill for an all-age-range read. But we've all read
that already, right?

I
asked the same question about what to read and I ended up writing a book for
all of us as my answer - The Adventures of Tilda Pinkerton.

The Adventures of Tilda
Pinkerton is a story of inter-galactic crisis with bionic bugs on a mission to capture the great Tilda
Pinkerton and destroy her magical hats before she can spread her Light across the galaxy.

It is written in a lyrical way to
appeal to fans of Dr. Seuss, Star Trek, Matilda Wormwood, and Harry Potter and a vocabulary builder
and tongue twister with every character’s name being
a verbal play on their personalities. Quinn, for example, is Quinn
Quisquilious, who works
with rubbish to create new things. Belinda Balletomania is
just that – obsessed with ballet. And
of course Aaron Arachnophobia is the spider desperately afraid
of himself.

My
father in-law loved the science fiction aspect and the bionic bugs. My husband
loved the fantasy with walking trees you can ride. My mother loved the
spiritual lessons. My mother-in-law loved the hats and was inspired to initiate
a book reading at the library with a hat-making event! Our neighbor's little
girl (5) gets a kick out of the big words and how silly some of them sound.
Another neighbor's little girl (10) loves how Tilda Pinkerton makes hats.

There's
something in it for everyone just like Tilda Pinkerton has a hat for everyone
too!

What
I love is that the younger ones tend to have an easier time with the big words
than the adults do. But ask a kid about dinosaurs and you’ll see the same thing
– they probably know a lot more than you do!

What Can a Family Discuss About a Book Together?

Listening
to how everyone in the family visualized the book is very fun. One little girl
insisted that she loved Tilda Pinkerton because of her long red hair. Nowhere
in the book does it say Tilda has red hair - but she sure does inspire
imagination!

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Sammy enjoys visiting new places, so he decides to take his friends to an enchanted forest called Whispering Willows. Along the way and through Paradise Pond, Bucky realizes that with practice, and confidence, he can finally swim! Join Sammy and his friends on a journey that will have them swimming for frogs, swinging through the forest, and building a tree house. Magical things happen in Whispering Willows…if you believe in yourself!

**All three books have questions in the back for reading comprehension

My name is Dana Lehman and I am the author of the Walnut Grove series of children’s books. All three books help encourage character development. I graduated with an Associates degree from Macomb Community College. I always enjoyed creative writing, and one of my dreams became reality in 2007 when my first book, Adventures at Walnut Grove: A Lesson about Teasing, was published. I currently reside in Allenton, Michigan with my husband and our two sons.

Judy Lehman is my mother-in-law. She has been an artist for thirty-eight years. Judy is a retired schoolteacher. She currently resides in Hubbard Lake, Michigan with her husband George. I have had authors ask if she would be interested in doing illustrations for them, but she graciously declines. She is retired and enjoys a lot of other activities, such as golf and camping.

My ThoughtsSammy the squirrel was excited that his cousins, Silly and Sassy were coming for another visit to Walnut Grove. He had a special adventure planned for his friends and his cousins. They were going to explore Whispering Willows a magical forest. He was keeping it a secret as to how the forest was magical. He wanted them to experience the magic for themselves.

Some of the activities took courage and they would have to brave. They would probably be doing things they had never done before. But Sammy was there to protect them. Bucky the beaver has a big surprise for Silly and Sally and his friends. What kind of surprises and adventure does Sammy and Bucky have in store for Silly and Sally? You will want to get your own copy of I CAN DO IT in order to find out about their adventure. You do not want to miss all the magic and fun!The author always has a lesson to be learned in her story. The lesson in this story is I CAN DO IT. She teaches that one can have self confidence by putting fear aside. This is definitely a great lesson!The illustrations depict a fun adventure in the magical forest with some things hidden just for you to find. The illustrations gives you the feeling of experiencing the magic as you read the story.I highly recommend this book.I rated this book a 5 out of 5.DisclosureI received a free copy of this book from the Lehman Publishing for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own opinion.If you found this review helpful vote yes or no here.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Silly and Sassy come to Walnut Grove to visit their cousin Sammy. Silly and Sassy are always getting into trouble. They play hide ‘n seek, have frog races, and play dare or double dare. How does this lead to jumping off a bridge?

Read I DOUBLE Dare you! To find out how everyone learns to take responsibility for his or her own actions. They will also discover that it’s not always wise to follow your friends.

My name is Dana Lehman and I am the author of the Walnut Grove series of children’s books. All three books help encourage character development. I graduated with an Associates degree from Macomb Community College. I always enjoyed creative writing, and one of my dreams became reality in 2007 when my first book, Adventures at Walnut Grove: A Lesson about Teasing, was published. I currently reside in Allenton, Michigan with my husband and our two sons.

Judy Lehman is my mother-in-law. She has been an artist for thirty-eight years. Judy is a retired schoolteacher. She currently resides in Hubbard Lake, Michigan with her husband George. I have had authors ask if she would be interested in doing illustrations for them, but she graciously declines. She is retired and enjoys a lot of other activities, such as golf and camping.

My ThoughtsSammy the squirrel was all excited that his cousins Silly and Sassy were coming for a visit to Walnut Grove. He remembered they could be a little mischievous but hopefully they would not cause any trouble. When Silly and Sassy arrived Sammy introduced them to his friends and then they all started playing games. Sure enough right off the bat Silly and Sassy were playing around and one of them got hurt. They admitted that they knew they should not have been playing a game that could possibly cause harm to someone. Sassy admitted that Silly dared her. Then she apologized for hurting Silly and they were off to play another game. As Bucky and Silly took off together Silly decided to not only dare Bucky the beaver to do something Bucky knew he should not do, Silly double dared Bucky. Bucky took the double dare and it put him in great danger.If you would like to find out just what it was that Silly dared Bucky to do, grab a copy of the book and find out all the trouble Silly and Sassy caused at Walnut Grove.What would you do if someone double dared you to do something that you knew you should not do? In this story the author teaches children to go with their own instincts when choosing between right and wrong. She also emphasizes to never dare anyone to do something the other person is uncomfortable doing. I have now read the first two books in the series and they both teach good values. The illustrations will stir the imagination while reading about the characters as they play games and yes get themselves into some bad situations. I highly recommend this book.I rated this book 5 out of 5.DisclosureI received a free copy of this book from Lehman Publishing for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own opinion.If you found this review helpful vote yes or no here.

Pansy’s life blossoms when she is adopted from an animal shelter by a loving family and little girl named Avery. Swept into her new life at the Palace Hotel in Beverly Hills,this smart and courageous puppy saves the day by solving a mysterious theft. Pansy at the Palace celebrates the spirit of curiosity and exploration, and teaches us that no one is too small to make a difference in the lives of many!

Cynthia Bardesand her husband, David, spend each fall at a Beverly Hills hotel with their toy poodle, Pansy. Inspiration for this story was born out of random misfortune. One day, when crossing Wilshire Blvd., Cynthia was struck by a car. Her injuries required surgery and a lengthy recuperation at the hotel.

While bedridden, Cynthia’s vivid imagination and Pansy’s popularity with employees and guests of the hotel made for a perfect story.

A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Cynthia is a former dress designer and interior decorator. When not in Los Angeles, Cynthia, her husband, and Pansy, live in Vero Beach, Florida.

Avery and her mom visit an animal shelter in Los Angeles and came across a darling little dog with brown curly hair just like Avery's. Avery asked to hold the puppy and she fell in love with the puppy. She thought the puppy looked like a pansy. Avery begged her mother to let her have Pansy and her mother agreed they would give Pansy a home.

Avery and her mom were staying at the Palace Hotel in Beverly Hills. When they arrived at the hotel everyone loved Pansy and she got a lot of attention. Pansy was given free run of the hotel and meet so many nice people. She had a wonderful new home with Avery.

One day everyone was upset because several people were missing some valuable items. Yes, there had been a theft and thanks to Pansy's explorations of the hotel and her curious nature she felt she knew the identity of the thief.

Can Pansy solve this mystery?

In this story the author writes about her very own little dog Pansy. She shows how the animal shelter is a wonderful place to find your perfect pet when you feel you are ready for the responsible of caring for your very own special pet.

It is very apparent a pet can be more than just a pet they can be a great companion.

The illustrations were beyond amazing the images of Pansy are almost photo perfect. The

illustrations depict the story with vibrant colors that tell the tale of Pansy and her new life with Avery

at The Palace Hotel in Beverly Hills.

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure

I received a free copy of this book from the author/Bostick Communications for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own opinion.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Sammy's feelings are hurt when he is called raccoon eyes. Sammy knows that name-calling is not nice, but his friends have a valuable lesson to learn. The name-caller soon becomes the one being teased. Adventures at Walnut Grove is a story about friends that learn to treat others as they would like to be treated.

About Author and Illustrator

My name is Dana Lehman and I am the author of the Walnut Grove series of children’s books. All three books help encourage character development. I graduated with an Associates degree from Macomb Community College. I always enjoyed creative writing, and one of my dreams became reality in 2007 when my first book, Adventures at Walnut Grove: A Lesson about Teasing, was published. I currently reside in Allenton, Michigan with my husband and our two sons. Here are some answers to questions that I am asked quite often by adults and children.Why did you decide to write children’s books?When I was growing up my mom would always tell us stories using a squirrel as the main character. Every story always taught some type of life lesson. My mom continues telling the stories to her grandchildren and always has their undivided attention . One day, after watching my boys being mesmerized by my mom’s storytelling, I decided I was going to write them a story of my own.Did your mom’s squirrel have eyes like a raccoon?No, that was my idea. The number one reason children (or adults) get teased is for their appearance. I wanted Sammy to look different so that it gives parents and teachers the opportunity to discuss diversity with children.Why did you write a book about teasing? I sat down and wrote Adventures at Walnut Grove soon after a school shooting. With such horrific crimes to children implemented by children I decided to write a story about teasing. I believe that it is never too early to start teaching children to treat others as they would like to be treated. Have I ever been dared to do anything?Of course, I think everyone has been dared, double-dared, or double-dog-dared to do things that they shouldn’t do. I wrote I DOUBLE Dare You! so kids realize that just because your friends do something doesn’t mean that you have to follow them! It’s important to try to make good decisions.How did you come up with the names, Silly and Sassy?I realized after I wrote Adventures at Walnut Grove that I didn’t have any female characters in the story. I was speaking with one of my friends, Vanessa, and told her that I wanted to add a female squirrel named Sassy to my next book. Vanessa said that she had a pet squirrel named Silly and suggested that I use Silly and Sassy. I thought it was a great idea! Silly and Sassy became Sammy’s cousins that always get into trouble!Did you send your book to a publisher?No. Why didn’t you send it to a publisher?I originally wrote Adventures at Walnut Grove for my own children. I asked my mother-in-law, Judy, to do the illustrations and she accepted. I thought that it would be a nice gift for my kids for Christmas. I have a friend, Gayle Brohl, who does graphic design, and she offered to layout the book for me. After a lot of encouragement and the success of the story in my own family, I researched sending my story to a publisher in order to reach a wider audience. I read in numerous places that a publisher only wants your manuscript, and I wasn’t willing to give up the illustrations. I did some more research and decided to start Lehman Publishing.Can you tell us about your illustrator?Judy Lehman is my mother-in-law. She has been an artist for thirty-eight years. Judy is a retired schoolteacher. She currently resides in Hubbard Lake, Michigan with her husband George. I have had authors ask if she would be interested in doing illustrations for them, but she graciously declines. She is retired and enjoys a lot of other activities, such as golf and camping.What’s your favorite thing about being an author?Other than reading and writing, I also love school visits and a program called ASK. I enjoy interacting with all the kids.What did you do before you started writing for children?I have been a stay at home mom since the birth of my first son. Now I work from home and still get to work around my boys’ schedules.Do you have any new books being released?Yes, I CAN DO IT! will be available in June of 2010. What is your new book about?I CAN DO IT! is about self-esteem and how you can do anything if you believe in yourself. Why did you write about self-esteem?It took me awhile to build up enough confidence in myself to publish my first book. I kept doubting myself. But with the encouragement of my family and friends I developed a more positive attitude. I am still amazed at how far I have come by taking a chance and believing in myself! Now I always encourage people to follow their dreams. As my mom said, don’t ever look back at your life and wonder what could have been. Take the opportunity that you are given and find out now.Authors ebooks are free to borrow if you are an amazon prime member anytime.

My Thoughts

Sammy the squirrel did not look like the other squirrels he had a mask like a raccoon. But no one seemed to care that he was different. Sammy and his friends got together to play walnut ball. When it came time for Sammy to hit the walnut Bucky the beaver started making fun of his raccoon eyes. This hurt Sammy's feelings and he started crying. Pokey the porcupine comforted Sammy then Pokey sought out Bucky. Why would Pokey want to find Bucky? Was it wrong for Bucky to call Sammy names? What would be the right thing for Bucky to do? Who do you think you are like Sammy, Bucky or Pokey?The author and illustrated created a story with a very good moral to the story. Name calling is not nice. Children will enjoy story and more than likely connect to one or more of these characters. The illustrations help tell the story and will pull the child into the adventure in Walnut Grove.I highly recommend this book.I rated this book 5 walnuts out of 5.

DisclosureI received a free copy of this book fro Lehman Publishing for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own opinion.

About Book Visit the magical world of Fairy Trails. Brianna the Ballet Fairy is an enchanting tale that will touch the heart of anyone who has ever had a special dream. Down among the sugarplums are sprites no bigger than your thumbs. Brianna is the smallest sprite who sprinkles sugar through the night. Enter a world of fairies, pixies and dazzling enchantment. Brianna wishes that she could dance with the elite Sugarplum Fairies who prance among the sugarplums. However, she is still too young. Can a pixie help Brianna realize her dream or will she trick Brianna, instead? The story is written in a lyrical rhyme scheme that will captivate young readers. The colorful illustrations capture the creativity and imagination of this poignant tale that encourages readers to believe in themselves and their dreams.

Brianna was out with the other fairies picking sugarplums. What she really would like to do is dance for the Fairy Queen. A mischievous little pixie over heard Brianna's wish and told her she could help. With some pixie magic she had Brianna dancing. But the pixie was just pulling a prank on her. This made Brianna sad when she realized what was happening. But what she did not know was she had her own magic for dancing.The author tells a rhyming tale of Brianna the Ballet Fairy. It teaches one to look within themselves to find their very own special talents and self-esteem. The illustrations are of darling little fairies and pixies flitting around picking sugarplums and merrily dancing. This was a very enjoyable tale indeed. The author and illustrator created some magic themselves.I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure

I received a free copy of this book from the author for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own opinion.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Reluctant to shed her riding trousers and fully submerse herself in her role as a growing woman, Jana Brady joins the Union army in the fight for her country. Hoping for Sweet Glory, she cuts her hair and disguises herself as a young cavalryman, eager to fight the Rebels, aided by Leanne Perham, another girl from town who has donned the Union blues. Disguised as Johnnie and Leander, Jana and Leanne form a close connection with other misfits in their unit, twelve-year-old Charlie, who’s hidden his age to provide for his ma, and Irishman Keeley, who inspires men to abandon their inner conflicts and band together. Jana comes to greatly admire Keeley, who frequently needles Johnnie about the occasional appearance of feminine attributes.

Lisa Potocar lives in Upstate New York with her husband and two cuddly keeshonds. Her passion for writing and research stems from her former work in health care administration and as a professor.

When not tracking some morsel of history to shape into a story, she is a tomboy at heart who loves to hike and bike and has traveled the world to do it.

Lisa’s book is published through Tate Publishing, a mainline publishing house dedicated to working with aspiring authors and giving their book its best chance in the marketplace. If you’ve ever thought about publishing a book, you should visitTate Publishing.

AUTHOR EVENT: A Book Cover Art’s Impact on SalesCome Celebrate My Milestone! For having reached 200 “friends” on Goodreads, I’m giving away a signed copy of Sweet Glory (open to the world wide). To be eligible, leave a comment to my blog-challenge. One lucky winner will be randomly drawn from the pool of comments and announced on December 21, 2012. (Note: If you aren’t my “friend” on Goodreads, you will NOT be able to leave a comment there. Feel free to leave one on my website or my other links listed at the end of this blog-challenge).Ready for some fun? A wee bit of background first……Author-Friend L.A. Sartor (aka Leslie Ann Sartor) boldly redesigned the cover of her debut novel,Dare to Believe, after it was on the market for only three months. But first she sought guidance from a former marketing executive who has over 3,000,000 advertising words in print around the world. Vince Mooney well understands “A Book Cover Art’s Impact on Sales.” He asserts:The cover art missions are very similar to the missions an advertising headline must accomplish: (I mention this because millions of dollars have been spent testing direct response headlines and what makes them work.)1. Get the favorable attention of the best prospects for the product.2. When possible make the cover art persuasively promise believable benefits.3. The cover art should entice the reader to read the blurb and hopefully the first line of the story.\Your Challenge: What do you think of Sweet Glory’s cover based upon the following?1. What audience is it trying to reach?2. What immediate thoughts do you have about what the story will involve?3. Does the cover make you want to explore the story further, such as reading the blurb or the opening lines—why or why not?

Want a really cool visual explanation of the above? Check out L.A.’s November 1, 2012 blog interview of Vince at http://bit.ly/PJPqLV. Then follow it up with her December 18, 2012 blog in which she walks us through the makeover of Dare to Believe’s cover art based upon Vince’s teachings at http://bit.ly/XyMODS. Trust me, it is exciting stuff!

Do you crave more on this subject? Vince blogs regularly at: http://vmres.blogspot.com/.I hope you found my first blog to be “artful and colorful!” (Pardon the pun).Lisa’s other links for commenting & learning more about her and Sweet Glory:

Sixteen year old Jana Brady had grown up listening to war stories and adventures from her grandfather. She soaked up these stories and yearned to live the adventure herself. She wore trousers like a man and could out shoot most men. Hunting and fishing was her sport, not housework. The most important times were spent with her father picking up runaways for the underground railroad. Helping them to the best they could on their journey to Canada and freedom. But when she did put a dress on she attracted attention of young men. Yet she had not found the right man to complete her knowing she was still young and had plenty of time to start a family.Speaking with Leanna a girl from town Jana decided she would join Leanna, disguised as young men, and signup with the Union Calvary. Now dressed in Union blues Jana now known as Johnnie and Leanna known as Leander would move out with the rest of the Union soldiers to fight the Rebels. They made friends with a 12 year old Charlie and an Irishman by the name of Keeley. This would be the ultimate adventure for Jana. After a face to face with Johnnie, Keeley was not convinced that Johnnie was a guy. He kept trying to trip Johnnie up hoping for the soldier to reveal his real self, which was surely a female. The troop spent so much time training that it had all of them in a sore mood because they wanted to fight the Rebels now. But when the killing started and it was time to recover the injured and dead they were ready for the war to end. All the while the foursome, Johnnie, Leander, Charlie and Keeley were there for each other and became close friends. I think I went through this book faster than I have read a book in a long time. So I guess you can say I enjoyed the book and that is stating it mildly. The book brought up things about the Civil War to the point I had to keep a box of tissues in my lap. I did not want to take a break or go to bed. I stayed up until I had read the whole book. The author pointed out how badly women in the medical field other roles in the war were treated by men. But being tough women they usually were able to put the verbal abuser in their place. It angers me that women had so little rights even then. This was the later of the 1800's not that long ago. This was when my great-grandmother lived and I do remember her.I am hoping there will be another book about Jana and her friends as they build their lives after the war was over.I highly recommend this book.I rated this book 5 out of 5.DisclosureI received a free copy of this book from Lisa Potocar/Tate Publishing for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own opinion.If you found this review helpful vote yes or no here.